Clothing with detachable symbols

ABSTRACT

An article of clothing includes a clothing product, a display portion attached to the clothing product, and a plurality of display items. The display portion has a suppleness and softness substantially the same as that of the clothing product. The display portion includes at least some of a top layer of loop fabric, a middle layer of foam, and a bottom layer of lining material. The display portion may be laminated together, and may be attached to the clothing by at least one of a stitch other than a single stitch, and a heat fusible layer. The display portion is attached onto the clothing product at a position for displaying at least one of the plurality of display items. The display items are attached to the display portion using hook-and-loop fastener system. Each of the plurality of display items are die-cut from a hook material.

BACKGROUND

Clothing such as t-shirts with messages printed on them are very common. The printed messages may be ideological, social or political statements, catchy phrases to draw attention, motivational statements, proverbs, or any type of message or image. Further, the printed messages may help persons to express their feelings, their mood, their identity, or their membership to a group. A printed message may become too often used, uninteresting, or obsolete with time and the person may want clothing having a message that suits a different or current situation.

In the prior art, the use of detachable and rearrangeable insignia that include alphabets, pictures, symbols, and the like enables the person to create and display a desired message on the clothing, and vary the message with time. In the prior art, the insignia contains a hook portion on its back portion and a printed area on its front portion. The clothing includes a loop portion. The insignia are attached to the clothing using a hook-and-loop fastener system.

However, prior art clothing with detachable insignia suffer from many limitations. For example, the loop portion is less soft and less flexible as compared to fabric of the clothing. Also, the loop portion does not blend easily with the fabric of the clothing, thereby making the clothing less comfortable to wear and less appealing to sight. Additionally, the loop portion is sewn onto the fabric of the clothing with simple stitching causing the loop portion to display stiff and pointed edges that are both uncomfortable and unsightly. And, the loop portion becomes susceptible to breaking due to the repeated application and removal of the insignia. Further, the ink of the printed area on the front portion of the insignia can rub off or fade over time with repeated use.

Thus, there is need for an improved article of clothing with detachable symbols.

SUMMARY

An article of clothing includes a clothing product, a display portion, and a plurality of display items. The article of clothing may also include a bag to carry the plurality of display items. The display portion is attached onto the clothing product. The display portion may be attached using a stitch other than a single stitch. The display portion may also be attached by melting a heat fusible layer between the clothing product and the display portion. Display items are removably attached to the display portion using a hook-and-loop fastener. The hook-and-loop fastener includes a plurality of loops on the outer surface of the display portion facing away from the clothing product, and a plurality of hooks on a display item. The display portion includes a top layer of loop fabric, a middle layer of foam, and a bottom layer of lining material. The top layer 202 may include a nylon loop fabric, the middle layer may include a polyester foam, and the bottom layer may include a tricot knit fabric. The three layers may be laminated together. The display portion has a suppleness and softness substantially the same as that of the clothing product. Each display item is die-cut from a hook material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A illustrates a clothing product, a display portion, and display items of an article of clothing.

FIG. 1B illustrates a bag to carry the display items.

FIG. 1C illustrates a front view of an exemplary display item.

FIG. 1D illustrates a back view of the exemplary display item.

FIG. 1E illustrates an exemplary arrangement of display items.

FIG. 1F illustrates an exemplary rearrangement of the display items.

FIG. 2 illustrates a cross sectional view of the display portion of the article of clothing.

FIG. 3A illustrates double stitching to attach the display portion onto the clothing product.

FIG. 3B illustrates zig-zag stitching to attach the display portion onto the clothing product.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1A-1F show an article of clothing 100. The article of clothing 100 includes a clothing product 102, a display portion 104, and a plurality of display items 106. The article of clothing 100 may also include a bag 108 to carry the plurality of display items 106. The display portion 104 is attached onto the clothing product 102 and display items 106 are removably attached to the display portion 104 using a hook-and-loop fastener. A display item includes a front portion 112 (FIG. 1C) and a back portion 114 (FIG. 1D). The hook-and-loop fastener includes a plurality of loops 110 on the outer surface of the display portion 104 facing away from the clothing product 102, and plurality of hooks 116 on the back portion 114. FIG. 2 shows a cross sectional view of the display portion 104. The display portion 104 includes a top layer of loop fabric 202, a middle layer of foam 204, and a bottom layer of lining material 206. FIGS. 3A and 3B show double stitching 302 and zig-zag stitching 304 respectively to attach the display portion 104 onto the clothing product 102. The display portion 104 may also be attached using a heat fusible layer.

FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate various components of an exemplary article of clothing 100. The article of clothing 100 includes the clothing product 102, the display portion 104, and the plurality of display items 106. The article of clothing 100 may include the bag 108. The bag 108 is used to carry the plurality of display items 106.

The clothing product 102 may be one of, but not limited to, caps, jackets, shirts, t-shirts, trousers, overalls, hats, long sleeve shirts, sweatshirts, sweatpants, and pants. The clothing product 102 may be made of a material that includes at least one of cotton, nylon, polyester, and other fabrics and blends of fabrics. The clothing product 102 may also include decorations such as straps, printed image, and the like.

The display portion 104 includes a plurality of loops 110. The shape of the display portion 104 is at least one of, but not limited to, rectangular, circular, elliptical, polygonal, curved, arcuate, curvilinear, rectilinear, and arched. For example, the display portion 104 may be large and round to allow more space for placement of more display items 106 with a greater variety of messages.

The display portion 104 is attached onto the clothing product 102 using a stitch other than single stitch. Alternatively, or in combination, the display portion 104 may be attached by heat transfer, for example, by melting a heat fusible layer between the clothing product 102 and the display portion 104. The heat fusible layer is melted under heat or pressure, or a combination of heat and pressure. Fusing layers of fabric is well understood by those having ordinary skill in the art. The heat fusible layer may be a heat activated adhesive. The heat fusible may be a fabric or mesh that melts under heat or pressure, or a combination of heat and pressure. Heat activated adhesives, fabrics, and meshes are well understood by those having ordinary skill in the art.

The display portion 104 is attached such that there are substantially no excess edges and margins. The absence of excess edges and margins results in improving the aesthetic appearance of the combination of the clothing product 102 and the display portion 104, as well as greatly reducing or eliminating the chance that the display portion can catch or snag on other clothing items, or be pulled loose during use or washing. The display portion 104 is attached onto the clothing product 102 at a position for displaying at least one of the plurality of display items 106. For example, the display portion 104 may be attached at the chest portion of a t-shirt, and/or the back portion of a t-shirt.

Each display item, for example, a display item 106 a, is die-cut from a hook material. The hook material may include hook-and-loop type material such as a material sold under the trademark VELCRO. The display item 106 a may be one of a letter or an alphabet such as A, B, C, a number such as 1, 2, 3, a symbol, a picture, a picture of a cartoon character, a word, a badge, a slogan, a text, an indicium, an insignia, a character, a logo, and combinations thereof.

FIGS. 1C and 1D illustrate a front view and back view of an exemplary display item 106 a. The display item 106 a includes a front portion 112 and a back portion 114. The back portion 114 includes a plurality of hooks 116. The display item 106 a is removably attached to the display portion 104 by pressing the plurality of hooks 116 onto the plurality of loops 110. The front portion 112 is visible on the display portion 104 while the back portion 114 is attached to the display portion 104. The hook-and-loop fastening enables firm but easily removable fastening between the plurality of hooks 116 and the plurality of loops 110. The color of the display item 106 a is chosen based on the color of the display portion 104 and the available colors of the hook material. The color of the hook material may be selected based on the color of the display portion 104 to obtain desired brightness and contrast for better display. For example, the display portion 104 may be black in color and the color of the hook material selected may be a light color such as white. The display item 106 a is die-cut to provide it with an aesthetic look by providing the display item 106 a with sharp edges and smooth sides, and also to ensure the edges of the display item withstand repeated and prolonged use. The display items 106 may be provided with a decorative pattern by printing. The display items 106 may have decorative layers sewn or glued onto them. The display items 106 may be provided with a fluorescent paint or dye that glows in dark.

The display item 106 a along with other display items may be detached and rearranged to form a desired message. For example, the display items 106 such as ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘1’, ‘2’, ‘C’, ‘3’, and ‘!’ are arranged on the display portion 104 of a t-shirt 102 as shown in FIG. 1A. The t-shirt 102 has the display portion 104 attached at a chest portion. A user can select the display items 106 and customize the t-shirt 102 as desired. The arrangement of the display items 106 can be changed to create different messages, phrases, etc. For exemplary purposes, FIGS. 1E and 1F depict one such rearrangement of the display items 106 on the display portion 104. FIG. 1E shows the formation of word ‘LOOP’, while FIG. 1F depicts the rearrangement of the same display items 106 to form a new word ‘POOL’. Further, the orientation of this rearrangement of the display items 106 can also be changed on the surface of the display portion 104. As shown in FIG. 1E, ‘LOOP’ is displayed in a horizontal direction, while in FIG. 1F ‘POOL’ is displayed in a vertical direction. It would be apparent to a person skilled in the art, that similar rearrangement could be done with numerals, symbols, characters, and any combination thereof. Further, the rearrangement can be used to create different messages, phrases, etc.

During attachment and rearrangement of display items 106, the display portion 104 is comfortable to a user while connecting with the plurality of hooks 116 due to the composition of the display portion 104.

FIG. 2 shows a sectional side view of the display portion 104. The display portion 104 includes three layers. The display portion 104 includes a top layer of loop fabric 202, a middle layer of foam 204, and a bottom layer of lining material 206. The top layer 202 may include a nylon loop fabric, the middle layer may include a polyester foam, and the bottom layer may include a tricot knit fabric. Further, the top layer of loop fabric 202 may include 100% nylon loop fabric, and the bottom layer of lining material 206 may include a nylon tricot fabric. The three layers 202, 204, and 206 may be laminated together. Alternatively, the three layers 202, 204, and 206 may be weaved together. An example of the display portion 104 is a cloth sold under the trademark VELCLOTH.

The top layer of loop fabric 202 includes the plurality of loops 110 facing away from the clothing product 102. The bottom layer of lining material 206 is soft and silk-like. The display portion 104 is soft, flexible, and comfortable to a user while connecting with the plurality of hooks 116 present on the display item 106 a. The display portion 104 has a suppleness and softness substantially the same as that of the clothing product 102. The display portion 104 may be less than ⅛ of an inch thick. Another type of display portion 104 may include only the top layer of loop fabric 202 and the bottom layer of lining material 206, and still have a suppleness and softness substantially the same as that of the clothing product 102. Yet another type of display portion 104 may include only the top layer of loop fabric 202 attached to the clothing product 102 using the heat fusible layer.

Since the display portion 104 has a suppleness and softness substantially the same as that of the clothing product 102, the display portion 104 may be attached at any part of the clothing product 102. Further, the clothing product 102 may include more than one display portions. For example, a t-shirt with two display portions, one at the back of the t-shirt and one at the front of the t-shirt to display two different messages. The display portion 104 may be used on other portions of the clothing product 102. For example, the display portion 104 may be any shape and may be attached to the sleeves or back of a t-shirt. The clothing product 102 may be available in a variety of colors. The color of the display portion 104 may be selected to improve the overall appearance of the clothing product 102 and the display portion 104. A user may wear the clothing product without the display items 106. A decorative stitching and piping may be used at the positions where the display portion 104 is attached onto the clothing product 102. In addition, the color of the decorative stitching may be different from the color of the display portion 104.

A type of stitching other than single stitching may be used to attach the display portion 104 onto the clothing product 102. For example, the type of stitching may be one of double stitching or zig-zag stitching. FIG. 3A illustrates double stitching 302 to attach the display portion 104 onto the clothing product 102. FIG. 3B illustrates zig-zag stitching 304 to attach the display portion 104 onto the clothing product 102. Double stitching 302 or the zig-zag stitching 304 results in substantially no excess edges and margins of the display portion 104.

A display item may be used to display a logo of a company. A display item may also be used to display at least one of a person's name, the name of a company, group, school, college, and the like. Further, the plurality of display items 106 may form a picture. The picture may be at least one of a movie actor, a historic monument, a cartoon character, and the like.

The display portion 104 along with the plurality of display items 106 may form a playable puzzle or, equivalently, a game. The puzzle may include a combination of different display portions having different shapes and/or colors. The display portion 104 may comprise a plurality of sections, and each section may comprise a different shape and/or color. The display portion 104 may also comprise colored stitching, dyes, paints, and printing to further define the puzzle.

In one use, a celebrity may use the article of clothing 100 that includes a t-shirt, the display portion 104, and the plurality of display items 106 to attract and interact with a crowd by displaying different messages. The article of clothing 100 may be used to display promotional materials or to advertise products.

The foregoing detailed description has set forth a few of the many forms that this invention can take. It is intended that the foregoing detailed description be understood as an illustration of selected forms that the invention can take and not as a limitation to the definition of the invention. It is only the following claims, including all equivalents that are intended to define the scope of this invention. 

1. An article of clothing with detachable and rearrangeable display items comprising: a clothing product; a display portion attached onto the clothing product, the display portion comprising, a top layer of loop fabric; a middle layer of foam; a bottom layer of lining material; and a plurality of display items; wherein the display portion has a suppleness and softness substantially the same as that of the clothing product, wherein the display portion is attached onto the clothing product at a position for displaying at least one of the plurality of display items, wherein the display portion comprises an outer surface having a plurality of loops facing away from the clothing product; wherein each of the plurality of display items are die-cut from a hook material, wherein each of the plurality of display items comprise a front portion to be displayed and a back portion having a plurality of hooks, wherein each of the plurality of display items are detachable and rearrangeable by joining the plurality of hooks with the plurality of loops.
 2. The article of clothing according to claim 1 wherein the display portion is less than ⅛ of an inch thick.
 3. The article of clothing according to claim 1 wherein the display portion is attached such that there are substantially no excess edges and margins.
 4. The article of clothing according to claim 1 wherein the display portion is attached using a stitch other than a single stitch.
 5. The article of clothing according to claim 1 wherein the display portion is attached using one of a double stitch or a zig-zag stitch.
 6. The article of clothing according to claim 1 further comprising a heat fusible layer between the clothing product and the display portion, wherein the display portion is attached by melting the heat fusible.
 7. The article of clothing according to claim 6 wherein the heat fusible layer comprises heat activated adhesive.
 8. The article of clothing according to claim 1 wherein the top layer, the middle layer, and the bottom layer are laminated together.
 9. The article of clothing according to claim 1 wherein the top layer of loop fabric comprises a nylon loop fabric, the middle layer of foam comprises polyester foam, and the bottom layer of lining material comprises a tricot knit fabric.
 10. The article of clothing according to claim 1 wherein the bottom layer of lining material comprises a nylon tricot fabric.
 11. The article of clothing according to claim 1 wherein the layer of loop fabric comprises 100% nylon loop fabric.
 12. The article of clothing according to claim 1 wherein the hook material comprises hook-and-loop type material.
 13. The article of clothing according to claim 1 further comprising a bag to carry the plurality of display items.
 14. The article of clothing according to claim 1 wherein the clothing product is one of caps, jackets, shirts, t-shirts, trousers, overalls, hat, sweatshirt, or pants.
 15. The article of clothing according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of display items form letters, numbers, symbols, words, badges, slogans, text, indicia, insignia, characters, logos, or cartoons.
 16. The article of clothing according to claim 1 wherein the display portion is attached to at least one of a chest portion and a back portion of a t-shirt.
 17. The article of clothing according to claim 1 wherein the shape of the display portion is at least one of rectangular, circular, or elliptical, polygonal, curved, arcuate, curvilinear, rectilinear, and arched.
 18. The article of clothing according to claim 1 further comprising decorations on the clothing product.
 19. The article of clothing according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of display items comprise decorations.
 20. The article of clothing according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of display items form a picture.
 21. The article of clothing according to claim 20 wherein the display portion along with the plurality of display items form a playable puzzle.
 22. An article of clothing with detachable and rearrangeable display items comprising: a clothing product; one or more display portions attached onto the clothing product, the one or more display portions each comprising, a top layer of nylon loop fabric; a middle layer of polyester foam; a bottom layer of tricot knit fabric; and a plurality of display items; wherein each display portion is less than ⅛ of an inch thick, wherein each display portion has a suppleness and softness substantially the same as that of the clothing product, wherein each display portion is attached onto the clothing product at a position for displaying at least one of the plurality of display items, wherein each display portion comprises an outer surface having a plurality of loops facing away from the clothing product, wherein each display portion is attached such that there are substantially no excess edges and margins, wherein the top layer, the middle layer, and the bottom layer are laminated together; wherein each of the plurality of display items is die-cut from a hook material, wherein each of the plurality of display items comprise a front portion to be displayed and a back portion having a plurality of hooks, wherein each of the plurality of display items are detachable and rearrangeable by joining the plurality of hooks with the plurality of loops.
 23. The article of clothing according to claim 22 further comprising a bag to carry the plurality of display items.
 24. An article of clothing with detachable and rearrangeable display items comprising: a clothing product; one or more display portions attached onto the clothing product, the one or more display portions each comprising, a top layer of nylon loop fabric; a bottom layer of tricot knit fabric; and a plurality of display items; wherein the each display portion is less than ⅛ of an inch thick, wherein each display portion has a suppleness and softness substantially the same as that of the clothing product, wherein each display portion is attached onto the clothing product at a position for displaying at least one of the plurality of display items, wherein each display portion comprises an outer surface having a plurality of loops facing away from the clothing product, wherein each display portion is attached such that there are substantially no excess edges and margins, wherein the top layer and the bottom layer are laminated together; wherein each of the plurality of display items is die-cut from a hook material, wherein each of the plurality of display items comprise a front portion to be displayed and a back portion having a plurality of hooks, wherein each of the plurality of display items are detachable and rearrangeable by joining the plurality of hooks with the plurality of loops.
 25. An article of clothing with detachable and rearrangeable display items comprising: a clothing product; a display portion attached onto the clothing product, the display portion comprising, a layer of loop fabric; a heat fusible layer between the clothing product and the display portion, the heat fusible layer attaching the display portion onto the clothing product by melting the heat fusible layer under at least one of heat and pressure; and a plurality of display items; wherein the display portion has a suppleness and softness substantially the same as that of the clothing product, wherein the display portion is attached to the clothing product at a position for displaying at least one of the plurality of display items, wherein the display portion comprises an outer surface having a plurality of loops facing away from the clothing product, wherein the display portion is attached such that there are substantially no excess edges and margins; wherein each of the plurality of display items are die-cut from a hook material, wherein each of the plurality of display items comprise a front portion to be displayed and a back portion having a plurality of hooks, wherein each of the plurality of display items are detachable and rearrangeable by joining the plurality of hooks with the plurality of loops.
 26. The article of clothing according to claim 25 wherein the display portion further comprises a layer of foam between the layer of loop fabric and the clothing product.
 27. The article of clothing according to claim 25 wherein the display portion further comprises a layer of lining material between the layer of loop fabric and the clothing product.
 28. The article of clothing according to claim 25 further comprising a bag to carry the plurality of display items.
 29. The article of clothing according to claim 25 wherein the heat fusible layer comprises heat activated adhesive. 